When Lucy Bache enrolled at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2007, she expected to meet new friends and gain knowledge in her chosen field, but never did she think that she would meet her future husband, Chris Parker.

“We met during freshers week in university. I was the first girl Chris met on his arrival to the halls of residence so I offered to show him around the city as I had already been there a few days,” explains Lucy. “We spent a lot of time together and were a positive influence on each other, encouraging and motivating each other to study.

We became extremely close very quickly and both of us knew that there was something special about our relationship from the beginning.”

After graduation, three years later, Chris returned home to Bermuda while Lucy remained in Wales, U.K. Their long-distance relationship was only temporary; Lucy secured a work permit and moved to Bermuda to be with Chris and only a few short months later, their relationship was solidified with a question, and a ring.

“A few months after I moved to Bermuda, Chris decided to take me to the most beautiful locations on the island, as well as my favourite spots,” recalls Lucy. “He invited me to meet him at various locations, including St. George’s, Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse, John Smith’s Bay, the Aquarium and Dockyard.”

The final location happened to be Lucy’s most favourite cove near Warwick Long Bay.

“Chris had laid out an Italian-style picnic with prosecco and an Italian ring! He knew it would mean a lot to me as we first lived together in Italy during our exchange year at university.”

When Chris and Lucy began planning their wedding, they found themselves torn between saying, “I do!” in Lucy’s home in Wales or in Bermuda. Ultimately, the couple decided that a celebration in both countries was the perfect compromise.

“As we both wanted our family at our big day, it made more sense to go to Wales for the ceremony, as we both have family in the U.K. but we couldn’t pass up a reception with all of our family and friends in Bermuda, either,” tells Lucy.

So the couple set off first to Wales to tie the knot in the coastal village of North Wales where the bride grew up.

“I had dreamed of having my wedding there since my aunty had her ceremony and reception at the same locations when I was about sixteen years old. I remember thinking at the time of her wedding how perfect it all was, so it made it even more special for me.”

When the couple returned to Bermuda, they celebrated their marriage with 140 of their closest family and friends from Bermuda. Canapés, cocktails and a carvery-style buffet dinner at the Mid-Ocean Club on July 14, 2012, suited the couple perfectly. “The entire evening was incredible,” the bride and groom recall. And celebrations were in such abundance that after the fete, the couple and their friends headed to Front Street to dance and continue the fun until 3:00 a.m.

Although not choosing to strictly follow tradition on their wedding day, Chris and Lucy honoured certain traditions in each wedding location.

“In Wales, it is tradition to receive a Celtic love spoon from family and friends on the way back down the aisle after the ceremony. I also gave Chris one,” explains Lucy. “They are all now hanging up in the kitchen of our Bermuda home as a reminder of our family’s well wishes for us as a married couple.”

In Bermuda, Chris and Lucy enjoyed traditional gold and silver leaf wedding cakes and planted a Bermuda Cedar tree in the garden of their home to celebrate their union. And although they enjoyed honouring both Celtic and Bermudian traditions, the couple insists that every married couple do what is right for them: “Listen to suggestions but make your own decisions. You don’t have to stick to traditions; try and make your day your own.”

The end result? “The entire day was magical,” says the couple. “Our family and friends said they felt it was like a fairytale.”